NW Illinois News

Illinois House Republican Leader Tony McCombie has raised concerns over the state’s current energy policies, crime rates, immigration laws, and delayed financial reporting. In a recent update to constituents, McCombie criticized what she describes as “shortsighted, politically driven policies” affecting Illinois families and businesses.

She pointed to recent Senate hearings on energy, where industry stakeholders expressed concerns about the potential loss of federal tax credits for green energy projects and warned that rising utility rates and regulatory delays are putting jobs and investment at risk in Illinois. According to McCombie, “Speaker Welch and Governor Pritzker like to pretend Illinois is leading the way on energy. But the truth is we are falling further behind while utility bills skyrocket, manufacturing jobs are at risk, and investment dollars leave our state.”

McCombie explained her support for the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) was based solely on protecting Illinois’ nuclear power plants but criticized other provisions in the law as unrealistic and costly. She said, “If it weren’t for the support given to our nuclear fleet, CEJA would never have been needed. Unfortunately, Democrats used it as a vehicle to slip in unrealistic shutdown dates and expensive subsidies for other energy sources.” She has filed legislation each year since then to repeal those portions.

The representative highlighted that electricity rates from major utilities such as ComEd have risen significantly since 2011. She compared Illinois’ addition of renewable energy capacity unfavorably with Texas during the past five years.

On public safety issues, McCombie challenged statements made by Governor JB Pritzker during recent national television appearances. She noted that after a violent Labor Day weekend in Chicago resulting in more than 50 people shot, Pritzker described Chicago as “fine.” McCombie responded: “Anyone who reads news headlines knows that this is far from a one-off incident. It is part of a broader trend of unchecked violence that continues to tear apart communities across Chicago.” She added that leadership requires acknowledging these problems rather than downplaying them.

Addressing immigration policy, McCombie criticized the governor’s support for laws limiting cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities while making conflicting public statements about coordination with agencies such as ICE. She cited his signing of the Illinois Way Forward Act in 2021 and subsequent comments threatening action against police departments engaging with federal agencies.

McCombie also objected to new state legislation allowing undocumented students access to financial aid at public universities. The U.S. Department of Justice recently filed suit against Illinois over this law, arguing it violates federal requirements for equal treatment of citizens regarding tuition benefits (https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-lawsuit-challenging-illinois-laws-providing-state-tuition-and). “I am grateful that the DOJ is stepping in to enforce the law,” she said.

In budget matters, McCombie drew attention to delays in releasing audited reports on state spending. The Fiscal Year 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report was not presented until August 2025—over two years after the end of the fiscal period—making it difficult for lawmakers to exercise oversight or plan future budgets (https://www.illinoispolicy.org/reports/illinois-comprehensive-financial-report-two-years-late/). This delay set a record among all states.

Recent revenue reports from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability (CGFA) indicate slow growth in personal income tax collections offsetting flat or declining revenues from other sources such as corporate taxes or cigarette taxes (https://cgfa.ilga.gov/). Cigarette tax revenue remains higher than that from other tobacco products despite declining smoking rates; recent increases in taxes on non-cigarette tobacco products were enacted earlier this year.

Tony McCombie was elected as a Republican representative for Illinois’ 89th House District in 2023 (https://www.ilga.gov/house/Rep.asp?MemberID=3162), succeeding Andrew Chesney.

Constituent services continue by appointment at her Byron office.